Chicken Kebabs with Green Grapes Chutney

I was in the mood for good old Rava Upma for dinner, but D wanted something a little more exotic as it is a weekend dinner. He loves upma but only on weeknights as a simple wholesome meal...

Also, I hadn't thought of anything for AFAM:Grapes event this month hosted by Swapna at Swad. So, I set aside my dreams of Rava Upma with peas and carrots, and decided to make chicken kebabs for D, as well as for AFAM:Grapes :-)

I settled on kebabs as they are quick and easy to make, very light, and satisfying. D liked it because I don't care for chicken so more for him!

To make it interesting, I added grapes to the mix, and served it with green grapes chutney, thus showcasing the AFAM (A Fruit A Month) star of this month. I would have liked to try a dessert or a drink with grapes for this event, but, maybe another time...

Now, it is a bit early in season, and the handful of vines in our garden are very young, but, we did have a little bunch of local Pinot Noir! I was quite thrilled. It was quite tasty... not that we are planning to make our own wines, but, one can dream, right?!

Chicken kebabs are simple: Thaw and marinate boneless skinless chicken breast in a preferred marinade, arrange in skewers with favorite veggies, grill till chicken is done. I used some bell peppers, potatoes, grapes and pearl onions. If using potatoes, preferably par-cook it before grilling. Grilled grapes added a nice sweet-sourness to the kebabs.

Grape Chutney is a version of Sweet-and-Sour chutney. The variety of grapes used and its tartness would determine the proportion of ingredients. I used fairly tart, yet mildly sweet seedless green grapes.

Ingredients
Marinade:
1 tsp tamarind concentrate
½ cup light soy sauce
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp Shatta, an Arabic hot pepper sauce (or any favorite hot sauce)

Green Grape Chutney:
1 cup coarsely chopped green grapes
4-6 green chilies
½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro stems, cleaned
¼ cup white wine* (I used Pinot Grigio as we had it handy)
salt to taste
*optional: I liked to carry the theme of grapes for this AFAM:Grapes event

Preparation

1. Green Grape Chutney:Combine all the chutney ingredients, except the wine, in a blender or food processor and blend to a smooth paste. Pour it into a pan and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, adding the wine if using.
2. Kebabs: Cut the chicken to bite-sized pieces, and marinate it for about 30 minutes. At the same time, soak some bamboo skewers in water. If using vegetables, cut them to bite-sized pieces as well and marinate them separately till ready to assemble the kebabs
3. Assemble the pieces in the bamboo skewers and grill till chicken is done